American hard rockers RATT have posted via their official Facebook page:

“We are deeply saddened to report that Stephen Pearcy’s sister has passed away. Due to this sudden and unexpected news, RATT will not be performing on the Monsters of Rock Cruise. We would like to thank all our loyal fans for their continued support and understanding. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Stephen and his family. We ask that you kindly respect Stephen’s privacy during this difficult time.“

The Monsters Of Rock Cruise sails March 29 – April 2. For more information see this location.

Fan-filmed video footage of SAXON‘s performance on the Monsters Of Rock cruise, which embarked on its second voyage March 16 and returned four days later, can be seen below.

SAXON‘s new album, “Sacrifice”, was released on March 1 in Europe (except in the U.K., where it was made available on March 4) and March 26 in North America through UDR. Taking a sharper, reinvigorated approach to the production, on this, their 20th album, SAXON have produced 10 of their strongest, heaviest and most inspired songs for many-a-year, and a more than worthy successor to their last album “A Call To Arms”. The album was recorded at LS Studios in Yorkshire and was produced by Byford, with Andy Sneap mixing and engineering by Jacky Lehmann. It fairly bristles with muscular metallic intent, Paul Quinn‘s and Doug Scarratt‘s guitar work the best it’s ever been, while Biff‘s vocals sound fresher and livelier. The songwriting too harks back to a classic era in SAXON‘s history, with the likes of “Warriors Of The Road”, “Wheels Of Terror” and “Stand Up And Fight” evoking the halcyon days of yore with a contemporary twist, the classic SAXON sound absorbing the snarl, ferocity and attitude of contemporary bands (and fans) such as MEGADETH, as evidenced by the crunching title cut, “Sacrifice”.

The “Sacrifice” cover artwork was created by longtime SAXON artist Paul Raymond Gregory and can be seen below.

“Sacrifice” track listing:

01. Procession
02. Sacrifice
03. Made In Belfast
04. Warriors Of The Road
05. Guardians Of The Tomb
06. Stand Up And Fight
07. Walking The Steel
08. Night Of The Wolf
09. Wheels Of Terror
10. Standing In A Queue

The lucky fans that were able to attend this year’s Monsters of Rock Cruise – which ran from March 16th – 20th, setting sail from Ft. Lauderdale before taking in such gorgeous tropical locales as Nassau and CocoCay – witnessed performances by countless renowned metal acts. But certainly one of the top standouts of the cruise was DIO DISCIPLES, comprised of members Mark Boals (vocals), Craig Goldy (guitar), Scott Warren (keyboards), Simon Wright (drums), Bjorn Englen (bass), and Oni Logan (vocals).

In addition to a great set by the band, the RONNIE JAMES DIO Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund raised over $16,500 for cancer research, education and to help find a cure. Some of the events that raised funds for the charity on the ship were a live auction that featured a signed Tony Iommi Gibson guitar, ESP guitar, Schecter guitar, Dio memorabilia, memorial T-Shirts and wristbands, and a Ronnie James Dio Photo Book. Rock Star Bingo was a huge success that featured members of Dio Disciples, STRYPER, Y&T, CINDERELLA and Eddie Trunk calling Bingo numbers, with 100% of the proceeds raised from these events going directly to the charity.